


Fireworks

by myheadinthecoudsnotcomingdown



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Magic Revealed, Magic is legalized, Merlin trusts Arthur, spells
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:42:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22944973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myheadinthecoudsnotcomingdown/pseuds/myheadinthecoudsnotcomingdown
Summary: Arthur is going to make a historic announcement and invites all the druids, but doesn't tell anyone what it is he's announcing. How much does Merlin really trust his king?
Relationships: Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 512





	Fireworks

**Author's Note:**

> I really should be working on some of my other WIPs, but I wanted to make my contribution to this fandom.

Merlin stood just slightly behind Arthur on the steps of the castle, trying  _ really _ hard not to let on how confused he was. The knights weren’t much better, only doing better at hiding it because they’d had more practice. Merlin, however, normally didn’t bother to hide his opinion about anything Arthur did, so he was having a much harder time. Arthur hadn’t told him  _ what _ exactly was being announced, just that he had thought long and hard about it and he was worried that either his knights or his noblemen or even Merlin himself would try to talk him out of it if he told anyone else. Guenivere supposedly knew, but she was staying silent out of loyalty to her husband and Merlin’s pleas of friendship hadn’t even gotten a hint out of her. 

So Merlin had to content himself with looking ridiculous as Arthur made some sort of controversial announcement in front of all of Camelot. He was pleased that Arthur had at least invited the druids to make sure they felt included in the goings-on of the kingdom. The sheer number of druids invited was a surprise, but Merlin was proud that Arthur was making an effort to help them feel welcome in Camelot again. Arthur gestured to the herald, who took a deep breath and blew a deep note on his horn to get everyone’s attention. Arthur smiled at the crowd and Merlin knew that only him and the knights would be able to tell how nervous he was. Whatever this announcement was, it had to be big if it made even  _ Arthur _ nervous. 

“People of Camelot!” Arthur’s voice carried around the courtyard. “I come before you today to announce a reversal in the laws of our kingdom.” 

Merlin frowned. A reversal? Why didn’t Arthur just say a change? And what was he changing anyway?

“It has come to my attention that, while my father was a great king, he was not perfect. His pride and grief led him to hate magic in all its forms and blinded him to the good it can do. He saw it as an evil force that only served to corrupt the user and turn them against the kingdom.” He took a deep breath. “This, however, I have discovered by my own experience to be false.”

Merlin’s eyes widened. Did he hear that right? Was Arthur really…?

“This is why, from this moment on, magic will no longer be outlawed in Camelot!”

A thick silence fell over the courtyard as the people digested Arthur’s announcement and Merlin’s head filled with the druid’s whispers.

“...is this real?”

“...it has to be a trick…”

“...is it true? Is the purge really over?”

“...did Emrys really do it?”

“...can we really trust a pendragon? He’s probably waiting to see who celebrates and then he’ll kill us all!”

Merlin glanced at Arthur, who was growing more and more uncomfortable as the silence dragged on. Arthur fidgeted uncomfortably for a moment before glancing back at Merlin and his knights, “What are they waiting for? Good or bad, shouldn’t there have been some sort of reaction by now?”

A few of the knights shrugged, while others shook their heads. Mordred glanced at Merlin quickly before speaking up, “I believe they’re waiting for Emrys, sire.”

Arthur glanced at Mordred in confusion, but Mordred had said all he was going to say on the matter and returned to looking out over the crowd. Merlin did the same and, sure enough, almost every druid in attendance was looking up at the group on the steps. Arthur probably believed they were looking at him, the king who had made such a historic pronouncement, but Merlin knew better. They were waiting for his reaction to tell them if Arthur was telling the truth or if this was some sort of trick. Merlin took a deep breath and stepped forward. He trusted Arthur. 

“What are you doing, Merlin?” Arthur hissed at him. “Now is really not the time to be acting like, like you!”

Merlin swallowed thickly, but refused to look at Arthur as he raised both hands above his head, pointing them toward the sky,  _ “Geondfel se heofon scimriam!” _

His eyes flashed gold and he heard gasps as the sky filled with bright, twinkling fireworks of all sizes and colors. Out in the crowd, the druids broke into smiles as they repeated his spell, adding their own fireworks of celebration as the courtyard exploded in light and cheers. Merlin grinned widely at the sight before he finally turned to look at Arthur, letting his smile fall as the weight of what he just did finally hit him. 

Arthur was staring at him, his mouth gaping wide open, making him look even more like a clotpole than he already did, which Merlin wouldn’t have hesitated to point out in any other situation. Lancelot was smiling at him proudly, while Arthur hadn’t seemed to notice that Mordred was busy adding his own spells into the mix. Gwaine’s mischievous grin took up his entire face and Merlin shuddered as he imagined all the pranks he was probably planning. But none of them mattered right now. The only one who mattered right now was Arthur, who was still staring at him in shock and giving Merlin zero clue as to what was going through his head. 

“Arthur,” Merlin began hesitantly, “are you…? Is this…?”

He was cut off by the feeling of someone tugging on his pant leg. He looked down to see a little boy, probably around seven or eight, scowling at him. 

“It’s not working!”

Merlin blinked in confusion, “What? What’s not working?”

The little boy huffed, “The spell! It’s not working!” He raised his arms. “ _ Geondfel se heofon scimriam!  _ See?” He dropped his hands and stomped, “Nothing’s happening!”

Merlin couldn’t help himself, he giggled. The boy pouted harder and his mother practically ran up and tried to pull him away, “I am so sorry, Emrys sir. Brynn, what do you think you’re doing, you can’t just…”

“It’s alright.” He said, finally getting ahold of himself. He crouched down so he was on eye level with Brynn. “I think your problem is that the spell I used might need more magic than you’ve got in that little body of yours. Here,” Merlin held his hand out flat, palm up, “try this.  _ Scimriam! _ ” A miniature firework hovered just above his palm and the boy’s face lit up.

_ “Scimriam! _ ” He shouted. Within moments, a bright red firework had bloomed from his magic and he grinned. 

“Thank you so much, Emrys!” Brynn’s mother once again started pulling at his arm. “Come on, Brynn, it’s time to go. Say thank you.”

Brynn didn’t bother tearing his eyes away from the firework in his hand, “Thank you!” 

Merlin smiled as Brynn’s mother led him away, then turned back to Arthur and the knights. 

“Well that was adorable!” Gwaine gushed. 

“Shut up, Gwaine!” Perceval hit Gwaine, who couldn’t stop laughing, but Merlin kept his eyes on Arthur, who was staring at where Brynn and his mother had disappeared into the crowd. 

“You’re a sorcerer.”

Merlin nodded.

“Why…?” Arthur looked broken and Merlin wanted to comfort him, or tell him he was being an idiot. He didn’t know which. “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“Magic is...well,  _ was, _ illegal in Camelot. I couldn’t, wouldn’t, put you in a position where you had to choose between saving me and doing your duty as king. I didn’t want to do that to you, Arthur.”

“Then,’ Arthur frowned, “why now? For all you know this could have been a trick. Other people probably thought it was. Just some ruse to find hidden sorcerers and see who would be stupid enough to cast the first spell.”

Merlin raised an eyebrow and fought back a smile, “Well, you  _ are  _ always calling me an idiot.”

“Merlin!” Arthur scowled and Merlin laughed. 

“Alright, alright!” He smiled at Arthur. “It’s because I trust you Arthur. I believe in your ability to be a wonderful king, and I know you wouldn’t trick us like that. I cast the first spell because I wanted to show that I support you, magic or no magic, whatever you decide is best for Camelot, and the other magic users here that you were telling the truth. I’ve been using my magic for you for years and someone needed to cast the first spell, so,” he shrugged, “it might as well be me.”

Arthur stared at him for a moment before frowning and cuffing him over the head, “You idiot! Why would you come to Camelot if you were a sorcerer?”

“Well who else was going to save your life, you prat?” 

“That’s what I have knights for!”

Merlin shot Arthur a look that screamed  _ unimpressed _ , “Really? Do you really think it was your  _ knights _ that defeated all those sorcerers that came to kill you? Seriously?”

Gwaine laughed harder at the look on Arthur’s face as he connected the dots, “You… what?”

Merlin rolled his eyes, “I told you you’d be helpless without me, sire.”


End file.
